Assuming it's nothing to do with your Dreamcast's laser (in which case you might need to adjust it to get it going, but realistically replace it altogether), have you looked into getting the disc itself resurfaced?
If this hasn't been done before, this would likely be the first thing to attempt before considering getting a new copy tbh. Many local game shops still have the machines for it and can do that for very little money.
V1 is missing stuff from V2 and if its like the Dreamcast version you lose all your equipped items on death. I love POS2. If you have access to any computer there are free PSO2: Blue Burst servers you can play. I'd look into it before purchasing because all the versions are different. Blue Burst contains everything the previous versions do plus a new Olga Flow boss fight at the end of episode 2.
You can get an optical drive emulator for the Dreamcast which allows you to play ROMs from flash media. Though there is some cost associated, might be more than you're looking to pay.
Sounds like you're stuck paying the money for the experience then. Unless you have an older DC unit, you can't play burned discs on the hardware, and if you refuse to play on other accessible forms 🤷
The problem was the last game. It kind of ruined the entire series. I didn't like the artstyle change between games. But it also just felt like it was not as good compared to the previous entries. Also they introduced time travel, time travel is like a story killer. Of course, the story was already dead with other choices they had made.
I felt like a 4th sly cooper game should have been about Sly's child since the themes were already about some multigenerational thief family. Sly's child would have wanted to be a cop just like mom, and then been confused after finding out that his family's criminal roots. It could have been a more adult story, for the now more adult players who were children with the previous games. I dunno.
This is a cause I can really get behind, I remember monsters and magic II I think, was on clamshell phones back in the day. That was the first mobile game to ever make me actually cry. Best part is, theres no ads or in app purchases cause that just was not a thing back then
This game has been released on the Nintendo DS. The idea is to compose your own manga page on the bottom screen with well-known cells from multiple manga. Some cells represent playable characters, some are support characters (doing move as an assist) and others have just passive abilities.
The cells also reinforce each other if they are touching and have « something » in common (eg: from the same manga, or both are the main protagonist of their manga, …).
During the battle, you tap the cells on the touch screen to switch character or call support characters. That’s how they could integrate many characters, even if they do not fight.
SML1 was basically just a proof of concept, it’s so short, lacking graphical detail and proper Mario physics. It’s not awful or anything, but if it didn’t have “Mario” in the title it wouldn’t even be remembered today.
SML2 isn’t perfect but it’s one of the best original Gameboy games, and really shines on its own. They don’t even feel like they’re part of the same series. I highly recommend the SML2 DX hack, played it on my Analogue Pocket and loved it, without the slowdown and with colour it’s very fun.
I think it's a combination of nostalgia and the fact that SML1 had levels, enemies and music that were super unique compared to other Mario games before or after.
SML2 is a better game on the technical side of things but nothing in it blew me away or was memorable enough for me to recall with super clarity like I do with 1.
To add to that, I think this may have been the game that started that trend. There was always a difficulty ramp, but the sudden spike level came later in the series. Any Mario platformer these days has a crazy difficulty spike near the end.
I mean, New Super Mario Bros. 2 had an entire DLC called "impossible levels." And don't get me started on The Final-Final Challenge in Super Mario Bros. Wonder.
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